Australian music industry to undergo review of sexual harassment and systemic discrimination

A national review to investigate sexual harm, sexual harassment and systemic discrimination in the contemporary Australian music industry has been announced today.

Consultants Alexandra (Alex) Shehadie and Sam Turner have been engaged to undertake the Music Industry Review via a comprehensive six-month consultation process beginning in February 2022.

The Review will be an open invitation to those working in the music industry to share their experiences through focus groups, confidential written submissions, an online survey and one-on-one interviews..

At the conclusion of the consultation process, Shehadie and Turner will present a report of their findings, identifying key issues and recommendations for sustainable reform by June 2022.

This comes as a direct result of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, and the desire to create cultural change within the Australian industry, with issues like Sony happening in the background.

Rather than investigating individual incidents, the Music Industry Review will be a broad cultural review, including participants from the live and recorded industries, labels and publishers, artists and artist managers, agents, festival and event production staff and other industry workers.

The consultation process will also seek to elevate the voices of the most vulnerable or at risk in the industry ensuring that their lived experience will inform any recommendations required to strengthen the culture of workplaces across the industry.

This will include a First Nations advisor to review the overall report, with specific attention to elevating Black voices throughout the report and recommendations.

Support will also be provided for people with accessibility requirements.

Three members of the original Temporary Working Group will continue to support continuity and ensure the review keeps on track; each member will receive an honorarium for their commitment.

The Review, announced with support from APRA AMCOS, ARIA, PPCA, Australia Council, and Support Act, has  a target budget of $400,000, which the group is still raising funds for.

This will cover the consultant fees, Working Group honorarium, legal expenses, national survey, accessibility, Industry Liaison salary, ethics approval (if required) and additional supporting facilitators.

The group is seeking funding across the music industry, government and philanthropic sources to ensure the independence of the consultation.

Funding tiers begin at $1,000. For more information on making a financial contribution, contact the Music Industry Review via the email address on their website.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.